Entries Tagged 'Gory Gear' ↓

Review by Sarah “Fatally Yours” Jahier
Want a horror tee that is different from the typical horror-movie-poster-slapped-on-a-t-shirt design that most vendors carry? I mean, everyone’s got a black shirt in the closet with their fave horror movie on it…but original horror tees are hard to come by.
Which is why, dear fiends, you have me to highlight [...]

The Brothers Ink is a unique t-shirt company. Not only are their dark, morbid designs wicked cool, but the company is run by the artists and designers themselves! They strive to be the most creator-friendly t-shirt company around, so if an artist’s designs are accepted, the t-shirt is advertised as the artist’s own! Plus, the artists receive royalties on every sale of their shirts!

The Brothers Ink debuted at the San Diego Comic Con with three lines of designs, but they are working on expanding their line as more and more artists contribute their designs. Since the artists are working for more than just a one-time fee, they work harder to create their best work to ensure its success and we get some bad-ass t-shirts outta this deal!

Now, The Brothers Ink was kind enough to send us four of their shirts for review. First is the “Skull Badge” shirt designed by Drunken Apostles. This black tee with a shaded skull surrounded by filigree will make you feel like a true hard-ass. The skull design on this tee makes it really stand out from other skull t-shirts. “Skull Badge” has a very sinister, dark, don’t-mess-with-me vibe that just begs to be worn while riding a Harley or hanging out in a dive bar.

Next is “Undead Boy” by DeadBoy, a stark white stick figure set against a black t-shirt. This stick-figure zombie has come back from death with a taste for flesh…that flesh being his little pet dog. The design is nicely juxtaposed on the left side of the tee, giving it a stylish twist.

DeadBoy also designed the “Drowning” tee, where another stick figure is dying a grisly death underwater. This t-shirt comes in white, with the sketched design in black positioned on the right side of the shirt.

My favorite t-shirt would have to be “Skull Balloon,” as designed by artist Jason Shawn Alexander from his Skull Saw line of clothing! It shows a dark figure of a little boy holding a bleeding balloon that features a leering skull. The effect is unsettling and creeptastic! Also unique to this t-shirt is that it is printed on a tan tee instead of the usual black or white, which makes it stand out even more!

Currently, The Brothers Ink is working on other designs as well as searching for other artists that are interested in contributing designs! If you are an artist interested in working with The Brothers Ink, please visit their website to learn how to submit your designs!

The Brothers Ink is a wonderful t-shirt company that rewards the artists for their creative designs and clothes its fans in fantastically unique tees. They are a t-shirt company everyone should be supporting, especially considering their amazing prices for such high-quality shirts!

Check out all the above-mentioned designs plus more at The Brothers Ink Official Site!

Now that Halloween has passed, leaving all of the little vampire boys and girls more dark and gloomy than before, it is time, to start thinking about what delectably evil little gifts you can place in their stockings and under their trees to lift their spirits once again. Sometimes it can be a bit challenging to find that perfect gift for your favorite vampire. Thus, I have put together a list of a few items I believe you will find makes you rub your hands together evilly and grin. These particular items are from Lestat’s Dark Gift Shop, Boutique du Vampyre, After Dark Jewelry and Vampire Wear. All of the below products, plus many more, can be found on the listed store websites. Enjoy!

• Lestat’s Dark Brew Coffee — A deep, dark French roast with immortal richness and a downright flamboyant character…caffeinated for when you are truly drained. Warning: this coffee has a dangerous bite! $10.89 for one pound or $5.50 for 8oz.

• Louis’ Plantation Blend Coffee — Louis’ Plantation Blend, a deep, dark New Orleans blend with an immortal richness and the quiet, brooding character of chicory….a mellower fledgling of Lestat’s Dark Brew. $10.89 for one pound or $5.50 for 8oz.

• Lestat’s Dark Brew – De-Fanged — A deep, dark French roast with immortal richness and a downright flamboyant character…..De-Fanged so it won’t keep you awake in your coffin. $9.89 for one pound or $5.50 for 8oz.

• Guardian Bats Vial Necklace — This clear glass vampire fang vial is about 1.5 inches in height. These beautiful vials are handcrafted so expect some variance in the shape and size. The top of the glass tube is a bit rough. This is normal the silver cap covers it. Your vial is accented by 2 antique silver Vampire Bats. Hangs on a leather cord with black and silver bead accents. Secures with a lobster clasp. $13.99

• Arcane Heirloom Necklace — A giant spread-winged bat is adorned with vintage glass drops, glass beads, Swarovski crystal pearls, and antiqued silver bead caps. This design is created in both the customary necklace length as well as a brand-new 30″ Opera length! $54.99

• Judgment Necklace — This medieval rosary design features “St. Theresa” by Francois Gerard. The image has been sealed using a 3-step method to create the facade and texture of an oil painting. It has then been set into a cross of medieval design which as been enameled and adorned with vintage crystals. Each and every detail of the finished pendant is painstakingly hand-crafted by the designer. The Gothic cross hangs from a strand of baroque antiqued silver beads, with black glass beads hidden inside. The ornately detailed chain is comprised of silver-plated connectors set with vintage ruby crystals and faceted black beads. Large black agate stone beads complete the 30″ chain, ending in a toggle clasp in the form of a serpent. A blood-red ancient vial dangles from the serpent clasp. This design may be worn as a single 30″ strand which hangs below the bosom or as a two-strand necklace. This is a marvelously versatile necklace option! $209.99

• Vlad Necklace — This design features the infamous Vlad the Impaler - the historical basis for our beloved Dracula. The image has been sealed using a 3-step method to create the facade and texture of an oil painting. The miniature is then framed, painted, and antiqued. An intricate clay backing is then attached. Each pendant is painstakingly hand-crafted by the designer. This design is created in both the customary necklace length as well as a brand-new 30″ Opera length! Please read the descriptions listed directly below for complete details regarding both designs. $129.99

• Custom Fangs — These fine quality, realistic Vampire Fangs are custom created using quality dental equipment, and color matched to your own teeth to enhance your Vampiric look. Fangs are created at the boutique by appointment only. Fangs range from $100.00 to $800, depending on your specific desires. Please call for a custom quote: (504) 561-8267.

• Stained Glass Bats — Bats wing spans are approximately 10″ and they are available in a multiple of colors, including red, blue, fire red, iridescent, purple, crystal, black, black wisp - or tell us the color you would like and we’ll create a special bat for you. $49.99

• Stained Glass Coffin — These stained glass coffins are available in a variety of colors, and are available with or without bats adorning the case. $35.99

• Vampire Tarot Cards — Tarot allows us to change our attitudes, to center our minds, and to distinguish the positive from the negative. Tarot enlightens us about the dark and light parts of our personalities, and it helps us advance toward solutions to the various matters in question in our lives. Each card has a message, and guides us in the decision-making process. Tarot highlights the essential elements of an issue, but final decisions ultimately belong to us. The Vampire Tarot Deck is a unique combination of myths and legends interpreted through exquisitely detailed paintings. Nathalie Hertz gives tarot readers a macabre passport for spectacular view of the mysterious and devilish underworld. A wicked pleasure! $25.00

Akumu Ink is a new clothing company that launched in early 2008. Based in Montreal, Akumu’s bold t-shirts stand out because of the special care that owners Joey and Dora put into them. Shirts are printed only when an order is placed. Once each shirt is hand printed, Joey then touches up any areas by hand while Dora treats each one with heat to ensure a super-soft feel. Each shirt is tagged with its own hand-written toe tag for a morbidly delightful touch!

Not only that, but Akumu Ink’s t-shirt designs are original and impressive! Akumu Ink wears its influences on its stylish sleeves and is inspired by horror movies, anime, comics and Japanese culture. The name “Akumu” itself means “nightmare” in Japanese! Joey says, “We were playing around with the concept of letting our ideas flow from our dreams to a tangible state and came up with the name Akumu Ink.”

Akumu’s newest shirts are prime examples of this fusion of influences. “Toyko Massacre” features a design with a cute (but deadly) Japanese schoolgirl wearing a Jason-inspired hockey mask and wielding a mean-looking chainsaw that would give Leatherface a run for his money. The design is full of energy and I love how the design juxtaposes innocence and evil!

Their next new shirt design is called “Shukketsu,” which translates to “bleeding.” One of Akumu Ink’s more gory tees, “Shukketsu” will have people thinking you’ve had a run in with Hellraiser’s Pinhead! Bloody trails track across the t-shirt and the razorblade emblazoned with “Akumu Ink” at the bottom hemline guarantee you’ll stand out in the horror crowd!

Akumu’s dark “Of Horror I” tee shows a frightened victim surrounded by bright red splatters and drips of blood. This striking print is what every horror tee should be: shocking, disturbing and bold!

Other shirts feature grinning cats, crescent moons, grinning skulls, cute (but morbidly obsessed) Japanese girls, splatterpunk scissors, hearts and stars! Their tees come in many colors, among them bleakest black, putrescent pink and gangrene green. Most come in either men’s/women’s sizes and can be specially ordered to come with or with out the Akumu Ink logo.

Akumu Ink does everything with its customers and fans in mind. As co-owner Dora says, “A lot of time goes into our product but at the end of the day we are really proud with what we put out and I think people can see that.”

Akumu Ink’s gleefully ghoulish designs can be purchased at www.akumuink.com and on their Etsy store at www.akumuink.etsy.com. You can also find their t-shirts at Sin City Tattoo and Piercing in Montreal, Canada and their tees are coming soon to Lions Laier Boutique in Castlegar, British Colombia.

Horror fans are always hungry for new t-shirt companies that make one-of-a-kind horror tees. In a sea of black horror shirts adorned with horror movie logos/posters/etc., it’s hard to find something unique that stands out. That’s where new clothing company Grim Threads comes in! Their brightly colored, macabre shirts are the perfectly perky antidote to the ho-hum horror movie tees crowding the marketplace.

Taking inspiration from horror movies, street graffiti, art and anime, creator Schuyler Abrams infuses his tees with a vibrant energy most horror-inspired t-shirts lack. He is a horror fan who counts Suspiria, The Funhouse, Creepshow, Rosemary’s Baby and Donnie Darko among his cinematic influences for his art.

Abrams is a “one-man army,” running the whole Grim Threads empire himself. He says the only thing he doesn’t do is print the tees himself, leaving that to a print shop. He only just started Grim Threads in early 2008, and the company has been building a steady fan base ever since. The bold designs give fans much needed variety, coming in shades of rich purples, pumpkin-bright oranges, bubblegum pinks and deep blood reds.

Grim Threads newest design is called “Sunburn.” Coming in red (in men’s) and pink (in women’s), the tee features a cute anime-inspired vamp along the side. The bright colors and cartoonish look give the t-shirt a very playful and animated feel. It comes printed on soft cotton material that’s easy to cozy up to.

Another unique design (and the one that first caught my eye) is “Dosidicus Gigas (Giant Squid).” It’s a ghostly white tee with a fantastically designed giant squid stretching from shoulder to mid-stomach. The black squid contrasts nicely against the stark white shirt and I love the style that the squid was drawn in. When I was in high school, I was a bit of a geek and I was totally into cryptozoology. The infamous kraken (giant squid) was completely fascinating to me, so it’s no wonder why I love this shirt so much!

Grim Threads also has a few designs that are set to be released this fall and winter. The first is called “Sir Rottlsworth” and features a dapper ghoul (reminiscent of those from Disneyland’s Haunted Mansion) haunting a grave. Though colors might be altered, I really dig the orange tee the design is currently printed on. This is set to be released in October 2008, so keep your eyes peeled and put it on your Halloween wish list like I’m going to!

For winter, Grim Threads has the “Nevermore” tee, a classic black tee imprinted with a design of a raven. It’s “perfect for sitting in front of a fire reading many a quaint and curious volume of forgotten lore,” as Mr. Abrams says. The design of this t-shirt is simple, but the effect is still quite bold, as it is with all of Grim Threads tees.

Grim Threads makes limited edition pieces so, as Abrams puts it, “so that they feel unique. No one wants to wear something someone else has!” And unique is exactly what Grim Threads is…their clothes are original and morbidly fun! You can order the tees directly from Grim Threads on their website.

For those of us that surround ourselves with the decadently darker aesthetics in life, NecroLites seems to have been specifically created to cater to our wants and needs! NecroLites create richly regal candles for those of us that prefer life on the dark side (or perhaps like to dabble in it from time to time). One of the many amazing things about this company is that they use only the finest of eco-friendly ingredients and they hand make each and every one of their candles. All of the candles are made using natural soy/beeswax instead of synthetic waxes and only essential oils are used to create the tantalizing scents. These scents are never overpowering or artificial smelling, but rather lightly accented with deep, sensual scents.

Speaking of scents, NecroLites has a dizzying selection of different candles that come in a variety of exotic scents. Rich, earthy scents designed to invoke an atmosphere of dark enlightenment are featured in NecroLites’Black Arts collection. These include Black Magic, Cloven Hoof, Deadly Nightshade, Dark Communion and Dragon’s Blood. Centuries-old scents used in temples and on altars for millennia to soothe and inspire are featured in the Sacred Scents collection, including White Sage, Nag Champa, Transcendence, Neroli de Luna and Carnal Inclinations. In NecroLites’Beyond the Grave collection, a decadent array of sensual scents are showcased for setting an alluringly dark mood to match your own dark aesthetic. Featured in that collection are the scents Wallachia, Akhkharu, Fragrant Decay, Reawakening and Hellfire Honey.

The candles themselves are gothically gorgeous in a variety of colors and come with beautifully lettered labels emblazoned with a skull emblem. The scents, as mentioned before, are absolutely amazing and will lightly but fragrantly scent your entire home. For those of us that wouldn’t be caught dead in a bright and chipper Yankee Candle store but still crave the ambiance-setting glow of a flickering candle, NecroLites is perfect for creating a darker ambiance!

Currently, all NecroLites candles are handmade at the time of order. That means that each and every time you will receive a unique candle that hasn’t been sitting on a shelf for months. Also, custom orders are welcomed, so if you have another scent in mind, do not hesitate to contact them and they will try to accommodate your request.

Whether you are looking for ritualistic candles for the dark arts or just looking to create a more entrancing ambiance in your home, Necrolites is the perfect place for people of a darker persuasion to incite their olfactory senses.

As their tagline goes, “Join the Dark Side. We have candles.” I couldn’t have spoken it better myself…

Plushybutts are soft and cuddly creations handmade by Shannon Hahn. Hahn got the idea for making Plushybutts from a Christmas book that featured cute characters. She thought she could do better and put her sewing skills to the test! Without any premade patterns and various scraps of cloth Plushybutts was born!

Hahn creates new Plushybutts on a regular basis, with no two creations looking exactly alike. Her DIY attitude mixed with her love of “cute but ugly toys” lead to her creations of Foxy the Heart Eater, C-section Sammy, Bunny Kill, Bloodsucking Block Head and Wrecker the Worm, along with a plethora of other kooky creations. The toys looks like Japanese animated characters – they are brightly colored, come in all kinds of unimaginable shapes and sizes and are both terribly cute and endearingly ugly all at the same time!

We received Wrecker the Worm for the purposes of this review and this Plushybutt was pretty darn irresistible. Wrecker was made out of soft felt and hand-sewn together. His bright yellow chest and eyes stood out against his mottled, bottle-green body. His little bow tie was so darn cute…the only thing that seemed to be missing were some librarian glasses to complete the “book worm” look!

Plushybutt also carries many other plushy creations - including a gigantic bloody tampon, poop, an ax and many other cuddly (but bizarre) things! Hahn takes special orders so anything you would like can be handmade by her.

Each Plushybutt is unique and handmade, so everyone will get something special…no two are exactly alike! Hahn’s creations already have lots of happy customers (check out the photo section on their Myspace page!!!) and I’m sure many more are to come!

One day, Hahn hopes Plushybutt will be carried in stores like Hot Topic, where they’ll be available for adoption to a larger amount of hipsters. Currently, you can buy Plushybutt by contacting Hahn through their Myspace page or through select stores (check their blog for more info).

It all began in a university biology department. What seemed like a routine procedure in a level 3 biohazard facility went terribly wrong. One researcher felt her foot tingle and discovered…her sock had come back from the dead. Thus sock zombies were born and the infection spread rapidly. By nightfall the socks were rising in every neighborhood!

Be warned – Sock Zombies are dangerously cuddly! Approach with extreme caution…or you’ll be infected with their cuteness!

Sock Zombies are the creation of Emily Williams. After being involved in a “stitch and bitch” group every weekend and wanting to make something other than the standard sock monkeys, Emily came up with the idea of making sock ZOMBIES! Emily has been a big zombie fan for all her life and wanted to create a zombie doll for her three year old son that wasn’t too scary. Her creations are the perfect plushy softness that invite cuddling, though Emily says, “I have doomed to my son. When the zombie plague hits, he is going to run out and try to give them all hugs!”

After she made sock zombies for her son (the first two were named Zack and Zelda, after characters in the novel World War Z by Max Brooks and the movie Pet Cemetery), she realized how much she loved them and decided to sell them online. Emily came up with back stories on each of her unique zombie characters (no zombie is ever the same and each one is handmade) and says, “I enjoy imagining scary zombie scenes. It’s like I’m writing my own zombie movie. Sometimes I make some of my favorite hero zombies. I made Bub once and Trash from Return of the Living Dead.”

We received our own sock zombie named Alex. “Alex played basketball with his Dad every afternoon after school, so he waited eagerly for him to come home from work. Unfortunately, Dad wasn’t feeling well enough to play that night, so Alex sat on the end of his bed and told him about his school day. Suddenly his Dad jumped out of bed and bit him. Alex looked down to where his arm used to be, and blacked out. He woke up hungry. Now Alex and his dad have a new father-son activity…hunting.”

Alex came with a bloodied stump of an arm (red yarn), a holey, bloody sweater reminiscent of the one Freddy Krueger wears, some green corduroy pants and a mop of soft, blue hair. Immediately my first reaction was to cuddle the sock zombie, because he is just begging to be hugged! Little did I know that his cuteness had been my demise…No one is safe against this new threat of the highly squeezable and irresistible Sock Zombies!

Sock Zombies have only been available for six months, but they are going quicker than hotcakes! Need a cool toy for your kids or for yourself? Want to give something unique to the zombie-lover in your life? Want to be the cool aunt or uncle in the family that gets your nieces and newphews rad toys? Pick up a Sock Zombie today and you’ll be a hero to all! Resistance is futile against these cuddly undead moppets, so just give in and buy one already, ‘kay?

You can find them online at www.sock-zombies.com, select farmer’s markets in Indiana and various horror conventions. Emily tells us the next sock zombie invasion will hopefully happen at the It’s Alive Zombie Fest in Pennsylvania, where they even have a zombie walk in the very mall where the original Dawn of the Dead was filmed.

Sock Zombies to march on Monroeville Mall! Be ready! Buy your own Sock Zombie before it’s too late!

Sassy, sexy and GORE-geous are just a few words to describe the Beserk Clothing line out of Australia! Beserk’s stunning designs are eye-catchingly bright adorned with skulls, red crosses, sprites, ravens, angels, trees, hearts and several eerie horror scenes!

Owner and Designer Fleur Brazier says she is “Heavily inspired by the streets of Japan, blood, cherry blossoms, maneki neko, nightmares, fetish & kisses.” Adding to that, Beserk is also has a cyberpunk and goth feel that will tickle many a horror-lovin’ girl’s fancy! Yet, amidst all the fantastically dark women’s fashions, there are a few options for the men as well, though this line is mostly geared as devilish delight for the ladies.

We were sent two tees, one inspired by the classic film Nosferatu and the other reminiscent of the infamous pole death in Cannibal Holocaust. The first thing that was noticeable was the high quality fabric the designs were printed on. The tees were thick and plush, made with 100% cotton and were probably the highest quality tees I’ve seen in quite some time. The designs themselves were gorgeous! They were bright and bold in red and white printed on black tees. The designs were simple, but really popped! The Beserk label slashed through in a deep blood red, but never once did it overpower the main designs.

The rest of the designs that adorn Beserk’s clothing are all equally attention-grabbing. The bold red, white and black color scheme is present throughout all the creations, from skirts, halters, shorts, dresses and tees. So varied are the designs and products that Beserk Clothing could be your one-stop-shop for all your goth-geisha fashions!

Besides t-shirts, Beserk Clothing carries Evil Princess Skirts, Combat Mini Shorts, Strangle Halter Tops, Assassin Pleated Mini Skirts, Beserk Army Dresses, Geisha Gangster Tops and unique accessory items. Not only are all the designs entirely unique and eye-catching, but all their clothes are also made sweatshop-free in their home country of Australia!

Whether you’re out for a night on the town or just hanging out with friends, you’ll turn heads and break hearts with Beserk’s killer clothing!

If you like a slice of the darker side of life, like wandering cemeteries under a full moon, cozying up with some old black and white horror classics like Bride of Frankenstein or Dracula and counting the days until Halloween, then you will revel in the creepy clothing creations of Level 27!

Started by best friends Steve Sievers and Billy Martin (of band Good Charlotte fame), Level 27 Clothing boasts playfully dark designs, most of which are designed by Martin himself. Bats, zombies, blood splatter and monsters adorn their exuberantly macabre tees and hoodies.

Ghouls and boils will love their colorful designs that just scream “FOR THE LOVE OF HORROR!” They were kind enough to send us several of their designs for review, and now we present these to you, dear readers!

First up we have two of Level 27’s zombie tees. The first is called “Lone Zombie” (click on picture to be taken directly to the product page) and appropriately features one green-tinged, moldy-looking zombie shambling across the blood-splattered front of a black shirt, a bold Level 27 logo in the background. This tee will have you looking slick for the impending zombie apocalypse…

To complete the zombie homage, Level 27 also makes a “Zombie Head” belt buckle (click here to go directly to the product page) that is grotesquely endearing and will complete the horror fiend look. The belt buckle is hefty enough to kill a few zombies if you hit ‘em in the head with it! You can save money by buying the “Zombie Head” belt buckle along with the “Lone Zombie” t-shirt in one of Level 27’s bundles! It’s a killer deal!

Level 27 also makes spooktacular clothing for scream queens. Their limited edition “Creature Feature” tee (click here to go directly to the product page) comes in many different colors in women’s sizes (as well as men’s!). It showcases a collage of the classic horror monsters, including Dracula, Frankenstein’s Monster, the Bride of Frankenstein, the Creature from the Black Lagoon, the Wolfman and the Invisible Man.

Women will also go batty for Level 27’s “Bats with Bows” hoodie (click on the picture to go directly to the product page). This snug hoodie comes in black and features two creepy-n-cute bats gracing either side. The purple accents around them really make the boo-tiful bats stand out. Horror queens won’t be able to resist the lure of this hellacious hoodie! It’s the perfect thing to wear for a moonlit midnight walk through the old cemetery!

For fun-in-the-sun (or gloom), horror-lovin’ women can’t go wrong with Level 27’s “Blood Monsters” tank top (click here to go directly to the product page). Designed exclusively for Level 27 by extraordinary artist Alex Pardee (www.eyesuckink.com), the tank looks blood-stained and soaked in gore, with two dismembered monsters staring out from beneath all the grue. The tank top runs extra long, so it’s perfect to throw over your bikini for a gruesomely cute cover up.

All of Level 27’s clothing is printed on high-quality American Apparel shirts and are 100% cotton. They are constantly bringing in new, horror-inspired designs, so keep your eyes peeled on their website (www.level27online.com) and their Myspace (http://www.myspace.com/L27Clothing) for new gory gear!!

Level 27 Clothing makes clothes for those of us that are unique, who love the dark side of life, who love classic horror movies, who cherish Halloween and want to make it everyday, who enjoy leisurely strolls through graveyards, who have pondered what they would do if a zombie apocalypse should happen…for those of us that consider ourselves “Children of the Night,” Level 27 Clothing will always be there for us, in the dark, waiting…

So what are YOU waiting for? Feel Level 27’s dark embrace and outfit yourself in some of their ooky-spooky, gory gear!

Zombies need some killer threads, too, and that’s where UK-based Bite Mark Clothing shambles in. Creeptacular creator Elaine Blakely has created a fun clothing line that both zombies and zombie lovers will die for.

Bite Mark Clothing is the brainchild of Blakely, who designs, prints, packages and mails all the t-shirts herself. All of the tees are limited editions, and come toe-tagged with custom labels that show which limited edition you have received out of 250. (more…)